Summer Fun @ Norwalk Art Festival

Once again this year the Norwalk Arts Festival is taking place in Mathews Park located on 295 West Ave. in Norwalk on June 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Festival goers can expect to find more than 125 artisans showing one-of-a-kind ceramics, paintings, jewelry, photography and other fine arts and crafts.

Juried exhibitors specializing in wood, wearable and decorative fiber, photography, metalwork, sculpture, mixed media, glass, ceramics and jewelry will share their unique talents and artwork at this nationally recognized event held in Mathews Park surrounding the Lockwood-Mathews Museum on West Avenue in Norwalk, Connecticut. All pieces exhibited will be available for purchase.

A highlight of this event the opportunity to interact directly with highly-skilled artists who come from all over the country. In addition, the Norwalk Arts Festival also includes includes fun, educational activities for children and an international food court. 

Live music performances will be provided throughout the weekend by various musicians including Norwalk’s own Edward Wright, Annalisa Ewald, Sarah Golley and a featured recital by Rebecca Christopherson’s TESS and Suzuki students on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

Hands-on art activities for all ages are offered free of charge in the Children’s Art Workshop area provided by Jerry’s Artarama and the Norwalk Arts Commission. The Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum will offer mini-tours and the Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) galleries will be open, where the annual “Foot Prints” exhibit is currently on view, as will Stepping Stones Museum for Children.

Admission to the Norwalk Art Festival is free. Patrons will have an opportunity to visit the museums and CCP as well as the playground and take a self-guided tour of the historic Pine Island Cemetery. There is a separate admission entry to the museums. 

Mathews Park is located at 295 West Avenue and is easily reached off exits 14N and 15S off I-95. The Park is a short walk or shuttle ride from the Metro-North Railroad South Norwalk station. Parking is free in Mathews Park and across the street. There is also parking available in the South Norwalk garages, from which visitors can take the beautiful river front stroll to the park.

For additional information, visit http://www.norwalkartfestival.org.  For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.

Music Mountain Concerts through September 11

Music Mountain, America's oldest continuing summer chamber music festival, kicks off its 87th Anniversary Season this year. The summer will feature 15 weekends of incredible music including returning favorite chamber ensembles and musicians, including pianists Peter Serkin and Julia Hsu; first-time guests, including the great pianist Richard Goode; the ever-popular Saturday Evening Twilight Series featuring an array of Jazz ensembles and musicians and introducing, for the first time at Music Mountain, in five concerts, the incredibly talented artists of the Catskill Jazz Factory; and the second season of the new Music Mountain Master Classes for Young Artists plus so much more! See why the New Yorker called Music Mountain "The Summer Shrine of the String Quartet." Concerts are scheduled through September 11.

The Emerson String Quartet has accumulated an unparalleled list of achievements over three decades. In a season of over 85 quartet performances, mingled with the Quartet members' individual artistic commitments, the Emerson plays extensively throughout North America. Multiple tours of Europe include dates in Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom, among many other countries. Based in New York City, The Emerson String Quartet is Quartet-in-Residence at Stony Brook University.

Chamber music concerts continue with Borromeo String Quartet (June 12); Penderecki String Quartet with Maurycy Banaszek, viola (June 19); Cassatt String Quartet with Colin Carr, cello (June 26); and Cantata Profana (July 3).

The Saturday Evening Twilight Series begins on Saturday, June 11 with The Galvanized Jazz Band! The series continues with The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (June 18); New Black Eagle Jazz Band (June 25); and Swingtime Big Band (July 2).

Specially Priced Concerts are as Follows: Tickets for the Season Opening Concert & Reception on Sunday, June 5 (3PM) are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2016 concert. All tickets to the Peter Serkin/Julia Hsu, Piano 4 Hands Concert on Sunday, July 10 are $60. Tickets for the Mid-Summer Benefit Concert with Richard Goode on Sunday, July 31 (3PM) are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2016 concert. Tickets for the Labor Day Benefit Concert & Reception with the Shanghai String Quartet, and pianists Gilbert Kalish and Jonathan Yates are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2017 concert.

The 87th season will continue to offer two ticketing options to complement their established family friendly ticket prices. Concert goers will be able to reserve their favorite seat(s) in advance for a one-time payment of $60 per seat, per season. For information on how to reserve a seat and specific seat availability, please call 860-824-7126. Music Mountain also continues its popular Gold Pass program. Major Gold Pass benefits include: Admission to all concerts; Priority Reserved Seating (subject to availability); $20 price for one guest per Gold Pass. Cost for Gold Pass Memberships: Individual: $780; Pair: $1,500. For a list of other benefits and more information, please call 860-824-7126. All Gold Passes are transferable.

Chamber Music Concerts are $35 at the door/$30 in advance. Twilight Series Concerts are $30 at the door/$27 in advance. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder. Saturday Twilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Sunday afternoon Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm. Group rates and pre season ticket plans are available. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit www.musicmountain.org or call 860-824-7126.

A quartet of special cruises @ Maritime Aquarium

Start summer off with an on the water excursion with the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk located on 10 North Water Street in Norwalk. The Aquarium is offering four special cruises that are sure to delight.

The first tour is the *adults* only sunset cruise on Saturday, July 18. Participants will enjoy a fun relaxing tour out to the Norwalk islands timed to include the setting sun. Aquarium educators will point out sights and wildlife, but this cruise stresses de-stressing while twilight paints the western sky. The 2.5-hour cruise departs at 6:30 p.m. and is for ages 21 and older. Tickets are $49.95 and include a signature cocktail. Additional drinks will be available for purchase. Light fare is available by pre-order by noon on Wed., June 15.

A second sunset cruise is offered on Friday, June 24 and is family friendly. Bring the kids for a fun relaxing tour out to the Norwalk islands timed to include the setting sun. (Height minimum of 42 inches.) Aquarium educators will point out sights and wildlife, but this cruise stresses de-stressing while twilight paints the western sky. The 2.5-hour cruise departs at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $29.95 ($19.95 for Aquarium members).

The next cruise  that takes in Western Long Island Sound is being offered on Saturday, June 25. This cruise will make close passes by Greens Ledge and Sheffield Island lighthouses in Norwalk, Harbor Ledge in Stamford, Great Captain Island of Greenwich, Execution Rocks off New Rochelle, and Long Island's Stepping Stones, Sands Point and Eatons Neck lights. All but the Sands Point Lighthouse are on the National Register of Historic Places. The 6.5-hour cruise departs at 9 a.m. Tickets are $75 (or $65 for Aquarium members).

To round out the month of June, the Aquarium is offering a "fireworks" cruise on Thursday, June 30. On this cruise, you will enjoy a unique water view of municipal holiday displays – times two, thanks to reflections on the surface – and avoid the crowds and traffic. The June 30 outing, which departs from the Aquarium dock at 7 p.m., will view the fireworks display off Westport's Compo Beach. Small soft-sided coolers are allowed, but alcoholic beverages and glass bottles are prohibited. Tickets are $50 per person. (Other "Fireworks Cruises" are planned for July 2 to Fairfield's Penfield/Jennings Beach, July 3 for Stamford's Cummings Beach Park, and July 4 to Norwalk's Calf Pasture Beach.)

On all cruises, binoculars will be provided. But bring your camera! All participants must be at least 42 inches tall to board. Those under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. R/V Spirit of the Sound has a climate-controlled cabin but participants should dress for time outside on deck, where the best viewing occurs. Capacity is limited so advance reservations are strongly suggested for all Aquarium cruises. Reserve your tickets online – and see the full summer schedule for R/V Spirit of the Sound – at www.maritimeaquarium.org. Or call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206. For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Shelton Historical Society's Vintage Vehicles Antique & Classic Car Show June 17

Enjoy a day with Dad and Granddad peeking under the hoods of the cars they remember from their youth at the Shelton Historical Society's Vintage Vehicles Antique and Classic Car Show on Father's Day, June 19th.  Two wheels or four, from Model T's to muscle cars, there's bound to be something that will trigger a memory or maybe a chuckle from every visitor.  The event will take place at Shelton History Center, 70 Ripton Rd. from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Best In Show 2011

Past shows have featured everything from a 1928 Rolls Royce Phantom, to a restored rickshaw that was used as an ambulance in the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, to a 1911 wood paneled Model T. A Locomobile produced locally in Bridgeport in 1921 was a one-of-a- kind entry last year. Nearly every decade of automotive history from the 20th century has been illustrated on the shaded grounds of the Shelton History Center with more recent muscle cars, Mustangs, and Army Jeeps joining many Ford Model A’s and T’s. All vehicle owners generously share information, their cars, and their hobby with the public.

There is still time for owners of antique and classic vehicles of all kinds to register to participate in this special event. Entry forms may be found at www.sheltonhistoricalsociety.org or by calling (203) 925-1803. Pre-registration costs $8.00 but will be $10.00 on the day of the event.

Awards in five categories will be presented to crowd favorites. Visitors will enjoy tours of the buildings at Shelton History Center, refreshments, and voting for their favorite vehicles. Admission is $1 for dads, $5/adults and $10/family. Proceeds will benefit the educational programs of the Shelton Historical Society. For additional information including directions, please call (203) 925-1803 or visit www.sheltonhistoricalsociety.org.  For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Explore Haskins Preserve with Westport Historical Society

Explore a  hidden gem, Haskins Preserve in Westport with the Westport Historical Society on June 18 at 3 p.m.  is tucked away in a lovely, quiet neighborhood off Compo Rd South. Woods, meadows, 2 ponds, a stream, dams, and a spectacular assortment of rare trees greet you near the entrance. Mr. & Mrs. Haskins, both noted scientists, authors, and philanthropists, left their amazing 22-acre estate in the middle of Westport to the Aspetuck Land Trust. 

Ben Sykes, an arborist with The Care of Trees in Norwalk who will conduct the walk, says the preserve has “quite a nice makeup of trees – mature oaks, an ash, nice yews that most property owners would shear into hedgerows, ginkgoes, nice cypress and lots of native species.”

“With so much new development in Westport, and homes being torn down and the land cleared, we don’t get to appreciate mature trees,” says Sykes, who will discuss the preserve’s trees and also offer tips on tree maintenance, pruning and disease prevention.

The front part of the property consists of mostly open high ground that drops off gently on each side to man-made ponds. Some architectural features remain, including a tall stone wall with iron gates fronting the lane, a romantic wishing well and a canal that feeds the larger of the two ponds. Trails loop around the back of the preserve through a forest of oak and beech. The showpieces are a 108-foot dawn redwood and a 24-foot Southern magnolia. Both are listed as “notable Connecticut trees” by the Connecticut Botanical Society. Other non-native species are a willow leaf oak, a Chinese catalpa, a Japanese hinoki cypress and the ginkgoes. The latter grow wild only in China and individual trees can live as long as 1,500 years.  

Sykes suggests wearing comfortable shoes and sunscreen and urges walkers to be prepared for ticks and poison ivy. The paths are fairly easy to navigate, he says, though some have steep downhill sections.

The walk will be preceded by a 30-minute Qi Gong class given by Sue Gold, the Society’s executive director. Qi Gong, Gold explains means “energy work” and is a practice of simple postures and fluid exercises that help you stay flexible, calm, more centered and more in touch with yourself.

“Tree Walk at the Haskins Preserve,” Saturday, June 18, 3 p.m. There is a $10 donation, and reservations are suggested: (203) 222-1424. Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place, across from Town Hall. For more information about the WHS, go to westporthistory.org.  For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com